Thursday, 13 April 2017

Some think I haven't done much since I folded PUSH after 23 issues back in October 2016. Not true. In December 5MANAGERS came back from the dead in the form of The London Stadium Issue, and last week the book of that fanzine - The Last Season Issues - was published by East London Press.

Today C-O-N, my new fanzine, hit the streets. I wanted it to be different from PUSH, and it will be. Originally it was going to have a strong political take. But this ended up troubling me. I don't believe in any political group, whatever line they hang their dirty bullshitting washing on, and never will. The first issue does have a political edge though, but there is a balance to it. What I didn't want was being called some lefty editor - I hate that expression, 'lefty', and it seems that the divide between the working class has never been so wide. Back in the forgotten past, the left of politics were the only true representative/defenders of the working class. And that's my final words on the matter.

Issue 2 will be all about bands, as music is my other main stay alongside football. I have already been lining up interviews and features as I write this. Football (obviously), films and a feature special issue on two historic cities close to my heart, London and Derry (see what I did there) are all in the game plan.

Thursday, 6 April 2017

As I put money into this - East London Press have got other books on the go - I got to exclusively sell the first half of the print run of 5MANAGERS - The Final Season Issues. To get my money back they said. But never been in this game for the money. And they know that and if I had an accountant he would say, that make's a lot sense, you are an awful businessman. But they ain't no different from me either. They run a small book press and know how tough it is. So I am grateful that I have had so much time invested in me through what they have published.

Saying that, to have them publish this West Ham book is as good as it gets for me. The best of the fanzine issues that I ran last season and now a book makes me so proud. Not because of me. The words inside and all those who made them words happen. I could go on but here is what the publishers put on the back of the book:

5MANAGERS was a one season only fanzine
run solely by Joe England. Its title, a homage to perhaps the only football club
to have had 5 managers spanning nearly a century; Syd King, Charlie Paynter,
Ted Fenton, Ron Greenwood and John Lyall. The fanzine wanted to focus on the
years before the origins of the Premier League, when Upton Park still retained
the essence of its true history and identity on and off the pitch; a compact, intimidating
and very special football ground. The fanzine was also an honest and unsentimental
recount of memories from players, artists and those who stood on the terraces. Featured inside this publication are the
exclusive interviews with West Ham United legends; Frank Lampard Senior, Mark
Ward, Kenny Brown, Frank McAvennie and John Sissons. Also included in this
unique football book is conversations with Mark Phillips (West Ham U/18s Coach),
Jeff Turner (Cockney Rejects), Grant Fleming (photographer, film maker),
authors John King (The Football Factory)
and Irvine Welsh (Trainspotting), musician
Jah Wobble (Public Image Ltd, Invaders of the Heart) and former Chelsea legend,
Charlie Cooke. There are also contributions from an array of very talented West
Ham United supporters. With a foreword by Mark Ward, this book is a fitting
compilation of those final season issues, as well as a lament to the famous
former home of West Ham United FC. Upton Park is gone, but never forgotten.

Book launch is down The Victoria Tavern, Plaistow after the Everton game on 22 April. Many thanks to Paul Wood, who not only runs the best West Ham pub still alive outside Stratford, but has always backed me doing this from day one. Cheers mate. Hope to see as many of you as possible on the night. We know how Everton at home normally goes. But do try and come and support not only the book launch but more importantly, Woody's pub.If you can't make the book launch, you can purchase from me direct before it goes to the publisher and through their independent bookshop distribution. Paypal joe.england64@gmail.comUK £7.99 + £3 postage.Europe £7.99 + £6 postage.